Despite ongoing availability issues at dealerships, European consumers last year continued to shift from traditional vehicles such as hatchbacks, sedans and MPVs, to SUVs. These vehicles have continued to perform well thanks to the arrival of new electrified models. Last year, registrations of SUVs totaled 5.34 million units, up by 11% when compared to 2020, and down by 12% compared to … [Read more...]
Bentley will go all electric beginning in three years time
Bentley is going electric. A new family of luxury bespoke cars will be assembled in its Crewe factory from 2025 as part of a £2.5 Billion investment in sustainability over the next decade. The first BEV is scheduled to roll off the production line in 2025 and will mark a significant moment in Bentley’s long and illustrious history. It is also a critical step in the company’s Beyond100 … [Read more...]
Fleets fear petrol & diesel value collapse
Fears over the future residual values of internal combustion engine cars and vans are increasingly helping to drive fleet adoption of electric vehicles, FleetCheck is reporting. Andy Kirby, customer success director, said that worries were being expressed across its outright purchase user base that demand for used petrol and diesel vehicles might start to substantially fall in the second half of … [Read more...]
The coming of autonomous vehicles
Last year, the UK became the first country to allow self-driving cars on motorways at low speed, but the reality is still many years away for the country as a whole. The country is making incredible progress in the trials for autonomous vehicles and is funding innovative projects that will pave the way towards the transport revolution. Technological advancements in terms of AVs are at the … [Read more...]
Audi & Porsche look at green F1 racing
German media reports discussions are at an advanced stage for Audi and Porsche to enter F1 in a couple of years. The Volkswagen Group supervisory board could decide next month whether its Audi and Porsche subsidiaries should compete in Formula One, German business paper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported. It would be costly but would give the two brands increased marketing exposure in … [Read more...]
New bespoke sports car moves production to Italy
Manifattura Automobili Torino, a boutique car manufacturer, and Jannarelly Automotive, a designer and developer of ultralight sports cars, have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on automotive design, engineering and production projects. The two businesses will kick-off their collaboration by transferring production of Jannarelly’s Design-1 from Jannarelly’s workshop in … [Read more...]
Rally1 cars unveiling this weekend
The superstars of the FIA World Rally Championship’s ground-breaking new hybrid era will rip the wrapping from the 2022 season at a spectacular year launch in Austria next weekend. For the first time, the WRC’s dramatic new-generation Rally1 cars from the three manufacturer teams will be together in Salzburg’s innovative Hangar-7 museum as the series’ new-look sustainable future is unveiled on … [Read more...]
Training for a new world of business
The Association of Fleet Professionals has unveiled the new Fleet Academy with an extensive programme of training for 2022. The launch marks the moment when the AFP takes over all professional tuition activities from the Institute of Car Fleet Management (ICFM). The AFP was formed almost two years ago by uniting the ICFM with the Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO). Paul Hollick (right), … [Read more...]
Mechanics and testers’ shortages hitting motor trade
A Motor Ombudsman poll of garages and workshops accredited to the body’s Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair, has revealed that recruiting a sufficient number of mechanics and MOT testers to meet consumer demand was the most significant concern for 67% of respondents when questioned about the main challenges encountered during 2021. The research conducted by the … [Read more...]
One-six-new UK cars will be electric in 2022
At least 330,000 new battery electric vehicles will be registered in the UK in 2022, according to figures from DriveElectric, one of the UK’s leading electric vehicle leasing companies. This figure is based on DriveElectric’s own forecasts, and it represents a significant increase from 183,000 - the number of battery electric vehicles (cars and light vans) expected to have been registered in the … [Read more...]